The Princess and the Dragon (Re-write)
by Linkzelda4431
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia is the princess of the Fiore kingdom. She is not living the perfect life. Ever since Lucy's mother had died when she was 8 she has been beaten by her father, King Jude. When will Lucy have had enough and go live her own life? When will she find her love? NALU! (Re-write of my original story, so this one is most definitely better!)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone and welcome to the relaunching, if you will, of my old story, The Princess and the Dragon. So if you got the memo I decided to re-write it after all this time I've been gone, and if you're interested you can go back and read the old one, I do not plan on deleting it, though I'm sure this version will be better. Anyway, please do give me feedback (I really do enjoy it) and have a fun time reading!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Lucy Heartfilia stood quietly on her balcony, looking at the bustling streets below her, and the wind gently blew her long, golden hair. The sun shone brightly down on the kingdom, and the sky was clear. It was a perfect day. And yet she couldn't go out and enjoy the warmth among the other citizens, she was stuck inside, stuck inside the castle to be more specific. Her father, King Jude, had forbidden her from ever going outside. If she was being honest Lucy thought of him more of a tyrant than anything. Though he didn't always use to be that way, in fact, he actually used to be a king and a loving father. But that all ended after her mother's death, a topic she didn't like to discuss.

She let out a soft sigh of boredom as she continued to look down at the streets, which were too far away to see the people clearly. Her bedroom door opened slightly and she turned her head in the direction of the creaking door. There stood one of her most beloved maids, Virgo. She had short pink hair, which was actually quite unusual, and piercing blue eyes. Lucy absolutely adored her, but she had a nasty habit of wanting to be punished. As Virgo spoke her voice was monotone, and yet Lucy couldn't help but be comforted by it "Princess Lucy, I have just finished preparing your bath."

Lucy smiled sweetly towards Virgo and turned her body, walking off the balcony and into her bathroom "Thank you, Virgo, did you put lavender in like I asked?" She nodded and grabbed a towel, setting it next to the tub "Yes, I did. Is there anything else you need before I go?" She asked. Lucy shook her head "No, you've done enough. Now please excuse me while I take my bath..." Virgo bowed before walking out of the bathroom, and then out of her room. Lucy waited until she heard the door close before she began to strip off her nightgown.

The bath water glistened in the natural light from the window, and Lucy put her hair up in a bun before she slowly eased her way into the lukewarm water. Her whole body instantly relaxed, both due to the warmth of the water, and the soothing smell of lavender. It really was her favorite scent, and she would often bathe with it to help her relax, as she was always stressed.

Lucy picked up a bar of soap and began to clean her body. She hated her body. It was covered in marks, marks that reminded her of her father's ruthlessness. He would often beat her when he got drunk, and she didn't know why. Perhaps it was because she looked exactly like her mother, and him having to look at Lucy reminded him that his wife was truly gone for good. Or maybe it was because he needed someone to take out his anger and stress on. She didn't know, and she honestly didn't care what his reasoning for it was, beating someone like he beat her had no good reasoning to it.

* * *

After Lucy finished her bath she stepped out and began to dry herself with the towel Virgo had left. She wrapped her body in the soft towel and walked into her bedroom where she proceeded to get dressed in a blue gown with white embroidery, her favorite. She slipped on some white heels, let down her hair, and brushed it out before she walked out of her room and into the long hallways of the castle.

She made her way towards the library, her usual destination, and took a seat near the back. Lucy picked up a book she had been reading and opened it. She breathed in the old book smell, though not without sneezing, and smiled happily. She loved that smell, and she loved books, especially fictional ones. Most people would probably think she was living in a fairy tale, after all, she was a princess, but her life was far from that of a happy ending.

Lucy picked up where she had last stopped reading. The story was about a princess and her knight who happened to fall in love, though their happiness quickly faded as the princess was taken by an evil dragon. The knight had set out on a long journey to find her, searching all over for her, until he finally happened upon the dragon's lair. That was where she had stopped reading, and after about an hour or so fo reading she finally finished the book. In the end, the knight had saved the princess and defeated the dragon, they lived happily ever after, like always.

She closed the book with a sigh and mumbled softly to herself "I wonder if I'll ever find my own knight in shining armor..." Lucy shook her head and quickly pushed away the thought. She knew there was no chance of her to marry for love, not with her father. He would most likely force her to marry a prince from a well-off kingdom, that way he could get more money to satisfy his needs, and he definitely would do nothing to help the people. She thought it sad, kings were supposed to take care of their people, like their children, and yet her father just uses them for taxes as a means of getting more money. The kingdom was already in a impoverish state and if he continued with his evil deeds it would only get worse.

Lucy was brought out of her thoughts as Aries, another one of her maids, walked up to with a sad expression on her face, and her voice was filled with sadness "Princess Lucy, The king has summoned you." Lucy felt a wave of fear come over her, but she quickly tried to push it aside as she stood up and smiled at Aries "Thank you, hopefully he is not in a bad mood today..."

* * *

It only took her a minute or so to reach the throne room, and as she stood in front of those large double doors she gulped. Lucy didn't know why he had summoned her, and she honestly didn't want to know. She took a deep breath before motioning to the guards, and they opened the large doors. Lucy stepped into the throne room and walked up until she was about five feet away from her father, and she kept her head down the entire time "You needed me?" Her voice was quiet, almost like a whisper. Being in the presence of her father she knew to make herself look weak.

He looked down at her "Yes, I do. I'll just cut to the chase, you are to get married to the prince of the Ice Kingdom, far north of here. I will be announcing the news in two days time, and in a few weeks, he will be coming here to visit. I expect you to be on your best behavior. Do not disappoint me."

Lucy took in a shaky breath, she was finally going to get married, and she didn't even know the man. She had spent most of her life preparing herself for the moment in which her father would force her into a marriage, and yet with all that time of preparing it still didn't help her to overcome the sadness she felt "I understand father, and I have no intention of disappointing you."

"Good," He was quiet, only for a moment, before he began to speak again "Also I wish you a happy birthday, and come to my room tonight, I have a gift for you."

Lucy froze up as her father mentioned her birthday. He never gave her gifts, or even mentioned her birthday, so why was today different? She dreaded the thought of having to go to her father's room, but even so, she smiled up at him "Thank you father and I would be honored to get a gift from you."

* * *

Later that day, when the sun had finally started to set, Lucy made her way to her father's room. The door was already slightly ajar so she hesitantly pushed it open and looked around the dark room "Come in Lucy, there's no need to be afraid." She spotted her father sitting in the corner, the room smelled heavily of alcohol and his words were slightly slurred, a sign he had been drinking. Lucy reluctantly walked in and took a deep breath "What exactly are you giving me?"

Her father pointed to a small box that had a blue bow on the top of it "Open it up and see." Lucy walked over to the box and picked it up before she began to tear it open. She gasped as she saw what was inside, it was a journal, specifically her diary. How had he gotten ahold of this and why was he giving it to her as a gift? Lucy looked over at the corner but he was gone, and she took a step back once realizing he was now standing right in front of her "I read it, all of it. How could you say those things about me?" He asked, anger slowly rising in his voice.

Lucy took another step back "I-I'm sorry father, I was just a kid when I wrote that, I didn't know what I wa-" Her sentence was cut off by the loud sound of his hand hitting her cheek "Bullshit, don't you know it"s bad to lie?" Lucy stayed quiet and held her now red, and burning cheek. It hurt, and she wanted to cry, but she would not cry in front of him.

"Answer me!" He screamed. Lucy flinched and continued to stay quiet, not knowing what to say. She really should have said something. Her father slapped her again, this time harder than before. He punched and kicked at her, hurling insults at her like there was no tomorrow. Lucy fell to the ground and huddled up into the ball "Father please!" She begged, but he did not stop, and if anything he got more ruthless.

* * *

"Get out of my sight..." He spat at her and walked back to his chair, taking her diary back with him. Lucy slowly got up, pain coursing throughout her entire body, and she slowly walked out of the room. As soon as she made her way back to her room tears began to spill down her cheeks uncontrollably. She couldn't take it anymore, she wanted, no, she needed to leave.

Lucy got right to work with packing up some of her belongings into a small leather bag she had. She then got dressed in one of the many less fancier gowns she had, boots, and a cloak. Lucy also grabbed some money before slinging the bag over her shoulder and heading out onto her balcony. There was no way she would be able to get out by going through the front of the castle, she needed to be sneaky and that's just what she is going to do. Lucy climbed over the railing of the balcony and grabbed onto some nearby vines. She first bade sure they were sturdy before slowly climbing down.

She had always dreamed of doing this but never had enough courage to attempt the feat. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, as well as excitement at the thought of finally being free. It made her so happy she couldn't wipe the smile off her face. Lucy finally made her way to the ground and made her way to the front gates, where she requested to have them opened. Lucikly the guards didn't ask any questions and they let her through. Though perhaps they knew who she was, and had just taken pity on her.

Whatever the reason she sighed with relief and walked into town. She had done it, she had finally escaped from her father. Even so, she was now in a town crowded with people, it was dangerous for someone like her who had no experience of the streets, and she clutched onto her bag tightly, as if it would somehow comfort her. She walked along with the crowd, wondering where she should go to next.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone and welcome to the second chapter! As a side note, I would like to go over my schedule for updates real quick. So, if y'all don't already know I am in high school, and along with that comes A LOT of homework. I try to write when I get home but usually, I'll have homework to do, and I will most likely be very tired. This means that I will update at least once a month, perhaps every week or two if I'm lucky. These updates do take a lot of work, so I hope y'all understand. Also, I know this may be late but I hope everyone had a good Halloween. Mine was alright, it mainly rained the whole time though. Anyway please do enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Lucy slowly pushed her way through the crowds of people, all equally pushing back on her. She mumbled a soft 'sorry' or 'excuse me' to everyone she pushed past, but they simply looked at her with sour faces before quickly turning around. She subconsciously pulled her hood up. It wasn't like anyone would notice her since she never made appearances outside the castle, but she still felt the need to cover up in case there was that one person who would recognize her. Lucy could not chance anything like that happening.

After she had successfully maneuvered her way through the crowd, Lucy came upon a small line of vendors. The vibrant and unusual patterns of their clothing drew her in, being that she had never seen anything of the sort before. It truly did amaze her. Lucy walked up to one of the vendors, fabrics of all textures and colors were laid out across a small table. She ran her hand over one of the fabrics, it was silky and smooth, like nothing she'd ever felt before.

Lucy continued on with looking at the vendors and one, in particular, caught her eye. Rings, necklaces, and jewels of all kinds were laid out across a table. Some sparkled in the streetlight while others simply seemed to glow on their own. Though despite the many exotic pieces of jewelry one seemed to stand out the most, despite its plain-looking appearance. Lucy picked up a silver necklace, and as a pendant, it had a dragon curled up into a crescent shape. She took a closer look at it and noticed just how detailed it was. Each and every scale was perfectly carved, not only that, but the eyes were made out of a red ruby-like stone. As she looked closely at it the eyes seemed to glow, almost like fire.

She was abruptly pulled from her fascination as the vendor's owner cleared her throat and chuckled softly "You seem awfully interested in that necklace, why is that? All these amazing jewels and you go to one as plain as that?" Lucy was clearly taken back by the woman's question and tried to reply, but her words were jumbled "I-I don't know...It's pretty?" She sighed "I'm not sure how to answer...I guess I was drawn to it? I know that the other jewels are by far prettier, but this...It has a different feeling to it, almost like magic...Sorry, is that weird?"

The woman smiled "Not at all, if fact, I liked your answer so much I'm going to let you in on the backstory behind that necklace. They say the king of dragons created it himself, using only his flames and a small amount of silver to form the perfect art of that dragon. It's also said to be infused with his magic, and some say it even has the power to protect the one in possession of it from any type of flame...If those stories are true I'd say that necklace is quite a useful thing to have, and not to mention, I think it'd look beautiful on you. Perhaps you should keep it?"

Lucy's eyes widened at the older woman's request, there was no way she could take something like this. Plus, she didn't even bring enough money to pay for such a thing "Oh no, I couldn't take this, especially since I have no money to pay for it. This sounds very valuable so it's better if you sell it to someone who can pay the right price..."

The woman simply waved off Lucy's remarks "Nonsense, I'm giving that necklace to you and you're going to keep it, understood?" Lucy bit her lip and nodded, after thinking it over "Alright if you insist on me taking it, and thank you, I have no idea how I could repay you." The woman laughed softly "There is no need to repay me, you've already done enough just by listening to my silly story, now off you go, it's getting quite late out for a young lady like you to be walking around all by herself." Lucy nodded, the woman had a point "I will, and thank you again!"

Lucy waved back at the woman as she walked off, going further into the streets. By now it had gotten extremely quiet, and the streets were almost completely deserted. She'd honestly go back to being in the crowd than on a street all by herself. She needed to get out of sight and fast before a guard decides to walk up to her. Lucy clenched the necklace tightly in her hand as she looked around, and her eyes landed upon a forest. As much as she didn't want to sleep in a forest full of bugs and muddy ground, Lucy knew she had no other choice.

She headed straight for the forest and walked into it, brushing aside the many branches that got in her way. Lucy had never been able to play outside, the only area she was allowed in was her private garden, so this environment was new to her, and so far she had to say that it was not very enjoyable. She gasped in surprise as a branch she had moved out of the way came back and slapped her. She felt her cheek and groaned, it was the same cheek her father had slapped her on. Just the thought of him sent shivers down her spine so she quickly pushed it aside. Lucy was free as of right now, and she wanted to keep it that way so her father would no longer be able to lay a hand on her.

* * *

Once Lucy felt like she was far enough away from the town she set down her bag and sat down next to it, hugging her knees to her chest. The nights had started to get cooler, and not only had she not brought any warm clothes, but she also had no idea how to make a fire. Lucy whimpered slightly as she spotted two twigs on the ground. She picked them up and began to rub them together. In a book, she once read it said how a knight had successfully created a fire, but for Lucy, nothing seemed to be happening so she gave up and threw the twigs away. Now her best solution was to just wrap up and stay as warm as possible.

Lucy sighed as she looked down at the necklace she held in her hand, and despite the cold air surrounding her, her palm with the necklace was warm. She thought it odd, and couldn't help but go back to what the woman had said. If this necklace truly was created by The King of Dragons, then maybe the warmth she was feeling was the magic trapped inside of the small dragon pendant. It could have been a possibility, but then again having something like this in the Fiore Kingdom could be quite dangerous, so Lucy didn't know why anyone would carry something like it.

Her father had banned the use of magic long ago, a month or so after her mother's death, and she never knew why. The only thing she could think of was if her mother had used magic, as her father clearly wanted to get rid of anything that was associated with her mother. Lucy sighed, her father had most likely wanted to get rid of her as well, though she couldn't know for sure. Once again, she pushed aside the thoughts of her father and decided that she should get some sleep Lucy laid down, using her bag as a makeshift pillow.

Lucy tossed and turned but she could not fall asleep. The ground was hard and cold, unlike her warm and fluffy bed back in the castle, and she couldn't help but shiver. The necklace was no help against the bitter cold, but she eventually fell asleep after thirty minutes or so, due to her growing tiredness.

* * *

The next morning Lucy woke up to rays of sunlight shining through the dense treetops, and the soft chirping of birds. She sat up with a groan and rubbed her eyes, she definitely did not sleep well, in fact, she had woken up periodically throughout the night due to just how uncomfortable she was. She was even considering going back to the castle after that, but she quickly pushed the thought aside. There was no way she was going back, no matter how uncomfortable or hard it was. With a new sense of encouragement, Lucy sat up and pulled her bag over her shoulder. As of right now, she needed to get as far away from the castle as possible, so that's exactly what she did.

She began to walk, her boots crunching against fallen leaves, and every so often she would let out a soft squeal due to a passing lizard or rabbit. Lucy was actually quite squeamish when it came to things in nature, such as insects or small animals, since she hadn't ever had much experience with it. She fit right in with the normal princess stereotype of them being completely useless outside the castle, she wasn't going to deny it.

After only a few minutes of walking her stomach began to growl, she would usually have lunch around this time, and it seemed like her stomach was not happy with the lack of food, and then again, neither was she. Lucy continued walking, rubbing her stomach softly, she already felt like she was out of energy. She frowned softly at realizing just how weak she was, as she could barely go without one good night's rest or food. Lucy had never been subject to this environment, and it was showing just how much a challenge it was for her.

* * *

Lucy walked for another hour or so, her lips had started to become chapped and her throat was extremely dry. She licked her lips as to try and help the dryness but it did no good, and if anything it only got worse. Lucy sighed, but her eyes immediately brightened at the sight of a small running creek. She practically ran over to it and got on her knees, using her hands as a cup to scoop the water up and drink it. Luckily the water was cold, very refreshing, and it quenched her thirst within seconds. She stood up once done and wiped her mouth against her sleeve before she stepped over the small creek and continued walking.

As she continued the sky got darker, and darker, though it definitely wasn't because the sun was setting. Lucy looked up at the sky and a large bolt of lightning lit it up, followed by a loud boom of thunder. She covered her ears in surprise, not liking the loud sound of the thunder, and quickened her pace. She needed to find shelter, and fast, or else she would get soaked. The wind began to pick up, whipping her dress to the right and blowing leaves into her face. Lucy had never been out in a thunderstorm and she had to say it did frighten her, especially when she was not safely tucked inside her room.

Large droplets of rain began to dot the ground, as well as her face, and that's when she began to run. Her hood fell from her face and she held onto her bag tightly so it wouldn't bounce while she ran. The rain had now started to come down harder and she held her hand in front of her face so she could see. Lucy sighed with relief as she saw a cave a few feet away, and she ran as fast as she could to it. Once inside she sat down with exhaustion, that was the fastest she had ever run, and now she couldn't catch her breath. Lucy took a few deep breaths and eventually was able to stabilize her breathing.

She leaned up against one of the cave walls and moved so she was closer in. The sound of the rain echoed throughout the large cave, which seemed to go on forever. Lucy watched the rain for a bit before her eyes started to get droopy. It seemed that all that walking and running had made her tired. She pulled her cloak closer around her and leaned her head against the wall, and with the somewhat soothing sound of heavy rain, she fell asleep within seconds.

* * *

Lucy woke up early the next morning, so early that the sun had just barely started to rise, causing the sky to turn a purplish-orange color. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, and they widened once she came face to face with a salmon haired man. Everything was quiet before he began to speak "Hey..."

As soon as he spoke Lucy jumped up in surprise and took a few steps back "W-who are you?!" She asked, clutching her bag close to her tightly, she was scared. After all, she had just woke up to a man staring at her, and not to mention she had never talked to a man besides her father and some guards before. The man quickly stood up as well and held his hands out defensively "Woah, easy there... There's no need to be afraid of me..."

She did not listen to the man, instead, she continued to take small steps back, toward the entrance of the cave. Lucy tried not to show how scared she was, as she fixated her gaze on his face, too scared to look away from him "W-What do you want with me? Money? I h-have some so please...please just let me to..." Even though Lucy didn't know what the man wanted she knew it couldn't be good. After all the bad experiences with her father she had a bit of an issue with trusting men, all she could think about was if he was going to hurt her or not. He would surely leave her alone if she gave him money, right?

The man raised an eyebrow at her behavior, sure, he was kind of scary but he had never gotten this reaction from a human before, not that he encountered humans often. He snorted as Lucy offered him money, why would a dragon ever need any of that? "Money? Please, I have no need for it. Now, if you'd just wait for me to explain you would's see that I'm just trying to figure out why you're in my cave..."

Lucy stopped walking but now was confused. What did he mean by his cave? No one she knew lived in a cave, and she had never heard of such behavior in any of the books she read. Though one thing, in particular, caught her attention. Upon further inspection of the male, Lucy came to realize that he had two large, rough horns popping out of either side of his head, and they curled inwards. She also noticed his wings, which were the same color as his horns, a dark crimson, which then slowly faded into a light beige color. Last but not least, he had a long, scaled tail, the same color as his horns and wings, and it swept across the rocky cave's floor slowly. Then it hit her, dragons...dragons live in caves.

She did not scream, but she did gasp at her revelation. Lucy looked up at him, she had read books about ferocious and evil dragons, and while the male didn't exactly look evil it was hard to tell just by his appearance, but Lucy couldn't take any chances. In one swift motion, she turned around and began to run as fast as she could, which wasn't exactly the fastest. The male simply chuckled as he watched her run, and he spread his wings, darting into the air as he caught up with her in an instant. He knew this woman would be very interesting and he couldn't pass up such a good opportunity to get to know her.


	3. Chapter 3

**First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for the support on this new story, and personally, I have to say that I am already liking this story much better than the last. I am very happy with how much detail I put and I hope that with writing this story I will become better. As a side note, I will most likely get more writing done next week since I have the whole week off for Thanksgiving break. If I happen not to upload I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, and as always I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Lucy's eyes widened as the man, or should she say, creature, suddenly appeared in front of her, as if by magic. In fact, she was so surprised that she lost her footing on the muddy and very slippery ground, causing her to fall forward. She tried to catch herself but that resulted in her foot being twisted into an awkward position and she cried out in pain. Though before she could fall Lucy felt a set of large, and very warm arms wrap around her waist. She looked up to see that it was none other than the man from before. She stared up into his onyx eyes, immediately being entranced by them. If she looked closely enough it seemed almost like there was a fire, or a deep passion burning inside of him.

Being as close as she was Lucy couldn't help but notice other features about him as well, such as his muscled body, tanned skin, and his sharp jawline. One thing that was actually quite noticeable was the scar that was on the upper half of his right cheek, as well as on the right side of his neck. As for his clothing, he wore a white scarf with thin black lines, giving the illusion of scales. He wore no shirt, revealing his toned abdomen, but he did wear some baggy white pants with no shoes.

The male had noticed she was quiet and chuckled slightly as he realized she was looking at him "Enjoying the view?" He asked rather playfully. She snapped out of her daze, not even realizing she was staring, and her face flushed "N-No, of course not!" She squeaked out in embarrassment. Why had she been staring? And why did her face feel so hot?

Her already flushed face reddened even more as she realized the position that he had her in. Lucy quickly got back on her feet and pushed him away, but it was not long before she stumbled again, a wince escaping her due to her hurt foot. The male caught her again "You hurt your foot, it's probably best if you don't try to walk on it..." Lucy couldn't argue with that. His voice was very soothing, and it helped to calm her nerves. Lucy couldn't help but think that perhaps he wasn't so bad after all.

She nodded, this time letting him hold her "Y-You're right...It does hurt, really bad..." The male picked her up and carried her back to the cave before setting her down on the damp cave floor "I don't know about you, but I have no idea how to take care of something like this. The only thing I can think of is icing it..."

Lucy herself was no medical professional, so she simply went along with what he said "Yes, that's probably best, though, I don't know where you would get ice from. It's not even close to snowing yet..." At her statement, the male simply grinned "I have my ways..." He stood up before walking to the front of the cave and spread his wings "Stay here, I'll be back in a bit." As soon as he finished his sentence the man took off into the air, leaving a gust of wind to blow in Lucy's face. She simply sat there, and it wasn't like she could continue walking, with her hurt foot and all. She sighed before closing her eyes, deciding that getting some more sleep wouldn't be such a bad idea.

* * *

Lucy woke up abruptly to a cold sensation on her foot, and as she opened her eyes she came face to face with the same salmon haired man, who now was placing a large block of ice on her foot "We'll, hello sleepy head..." She rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times "What time is it?" Before he could even answer she looked to her left, outside of the cave, and the sky was just starting to turn shades of pink and orange "I slept for a while, and you took so long. Why is that?" She asked.

He continued to hold the ice on her foot and he shrugged "Well for one I'd say that's pretty fast for flying to and from the ice kingdom, and yes, you did sleep for a while." Lucy's interest peaked as he mentioned the ice kingdom, as it was a whole two days journey from the castle on horse "W-What? You flew all the way from here to the ice kingdom, and back within all of a few hours?" The male looked at her like she was stupid for asking such a dumb question "Well yeah, isn't it obvious?"

She waited for him to begin laughing, or for his serious face to falter, but it didn't. It amazed her how fast he could fly, as well as how useful travel like that must be "T-That's amazing...I assume you're a dragon, correct? I mean, you look like one... Can all dragons fly that fast, or is it just a select few? Speaking of dragons, what do you eat? Do you eat people?" Lucy bombarded him with questions as her curiosity about the rare dragon species grew. Once she had a taste for knowledge there was no stopping her from getting more.

The man held out his hand, as to slow her down, and he chuckled softly "Woah there, calm down, that's a lot of questions for one guy, but I might as well answer them. First of all, yes, I am a dragon. Also, not all dragons can fly that fast, in fact, some even fly faster, such as wind dragons. I myself am just a fire dragon, so my speed, to dragons, is actually quite slow." He thought a bit on the last question "Well, I usually just eat fish, or small animals that I find, sometimes deer. As for people, I haven't ever eaten one, but I know some dragons who have..." He looked over at her and grinned wickedly "They say human flesh tastes the best..."

At his expression Lucy felt shivers crawl up her spine, and she clenched her hands into fists "Y-You're not going to eat me, are you?" Her voice quivered as she spoke, and she found herself trying to move further away from him, but it was no use, he could easily catch up to her. At seeing her nervousness the male's grin widened, showing off his sharp fangs, and he leaned closer to her, licking his lips "Perhaps, you do look pretty tasty, and might I say I do prefer to eat girls. After all, their flesh is usually soft and much sweeter than males..."

She looked at him, horrified, and she shut her eyes tightly, too scared to see what would come next "I-If you're going to eat me then just get it over with!" Lucy braced herself, but the painful feeling of him sinking his teeth into her never came. She opened one of her eyes hesitantly and the male looked back at her, a goofy expression on his face. Then, he began to laugh hysterically, so much that tears began to fall from his eyes "O-Oh man! You should have seen the look on your face!"

His laughter echoed through the cave and Lucy could feel her cheeks heat up "T-That was not funny!" She yelled back at him, though it was drowned out by his laughter "You scared me half to death!" The male wiped a few tears away as he tried to control his laughter "I could tell and man that face was priceless! I'd kill to see it again, not literally, of course."

Lucy crossed her arms and frowned, pouting slightly "It's not funny, you really did scare me..." She was quiet for a moment, as she realized she didn't even know his name "U-Um, so what's your name anyway?" She asked. He had finally calmed down, and all that remained on his face was a wide grin "Oh, it's Natsu, and may I ask yours?" She couldn't help but smile, the name seemed to fit him "Lucy."

A peaceful silence fell over the two, but it was quickly interrupted by Lucy's growling stomach. Her face flushed in embarrassment and she held her stomach, almost apologetically "S-Sorry, I haven't eaten in a while..." Natsu raised an eyebrow and quickly stood up "What? Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" He handed her the ice "Here, keep icing it, and while you do that I am going to go and get you some fish." Lucy took the ice "You don't have to, I'm sure I can just wait to eat tomorrow since that's when I'll be leaving."

Natsu looked down at her with surprise, if she hadn't eaten so far what made her think she could go another day without food? "What? Why are you leaving so soon? For one, I doubt you'll be able to walk on your foot, and second of all, you need to eat, just by looking at you I can tell you're weak." Before she could object he began to walk out of the cave, rather quickly, as so she wouldn't have time to respond. As soon as he was outside the cave he took off in search of a nearby lake.

The cave once again grew quiet as he left, leaving Lucy's thoughts to brew. Natsu was turning out to be friendlier than she had first anticipated, and not only that, but she was starting to like his company. She laughed softly at herself from the events from before. At the time it definitely was not funny, but as she looked back on it she could see how it could have been funny. It felt good to laugh, and she hoped he would give her a few more laughs before she had to leave.

* * *

Within ten minutes or so Natsu was walking back in, and he held four flopping fish in his hand. He sat down next to her and grinned, setting the fish down on the floor "You miss me?" Lucy snorted and laughed softly "You wish..." She glanced over at the fish, which looked much too large for her to eat alone "Why did you get so many, and how are you supposed to cook them?" She asked.

He chuckled softly "Well I'm going to eat some too, of course, and I'll cook them like this..." In an instant Natsu's hand was engulfed in flames, they licked at his hand as he placed his hand on the fish. Lucy's eyes widened "T-That's...magic..." She had never seen any type of magic before, and the fact that he had just casually done it in front of her shocked Lucy.

Natsu looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. He wasn't accustomed to the laws of the land, not that he would follow them anyway, so he thought magic was well known "Yeah? Why are you acting so surprised?" Now it was her turn to look at him like he was stupid "Don't you know magic is outlawed and can be punishable by death? Or, I guess a dragon who lives in a cave, far from the village, wouldn't know that..."

He removed his hand from the now, crispy, cooked fish and raised an eyebrow "What? When did that happen? Though I guess you're right, I don't ever go into town and I don't ever plan to, it's too dangerous for someone like me. Plus, no one comes this deep into the forest anyway, so it's hard to hear any news..." Natsu picked up the smallest fish and set it down next to her "You can peel the skin off if you'd like, personally I like the skin but I figure you wouldn't."

Lucy lightly touched the fish before pulling her hand back quickly, it was still very hot "Ah...Thanks...I think I'll go with peeling the skin off..." Natsu shrugged and picked up one of the fishes "Suit yourself..." As soon as he finished his sentence Natsu was chowing down on the fish, eating bone and all, he did not discriminate against any parts.

She looked at him with shock, as she had never seen anyone with so poor table manners before, and if she was being honest, it grossed her out. Lucy pursed her lips and looked down at her fish before she slowly began to peel the skin off of it. Steam rose off of the white meat, and she slowly began to pick at it, bringing small amounts of it to her lips at a time. While the fish did taste quite bland, her stomach was practically leaping with joy at her finally eating food. As Lucy glanced over at Natsu her eyes widened, he had finished eating all three fishes, and now he stared at her. She stared back at him before noticing he was looking at her fish "D-Do you want the re-" She didn't even have to finish her sentence before Natsu grabbed the fish and gobbled it down in one bite.

Lucy stared in shock, and her jaw dropped, how was it that he could eat so fast? And not to mention so much? She continued to stare at him, and he looked back at her "What? I have a large appetite, so don't judge..." She quickly looked away and fiddled with her fingers "Sorry, It is just, you eat so sloppily. I've never seen anyone with such poor manners in my entire life..."

"H-Hey! I know I'm by far not perfect, but you don't have to be so rude!" Natsu said as he had never been with anyone long enough for them to criticize his eating. Lucy looked over at him "Well, it's true, didn't your parents teach you how to eat properly? Or, do dragons not talk about those types of things?" Natsu grew quiet, as he did not talk about his family often, or more like he didn't like to talk about his family. There was a clear shift in his behavior, as it went from playful to sorrowful "Yeah sure, I guess you could say we don't learn about that type of stuff..."

She noticed the immediate change in his behavior and quickly regretted ever speaking "I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought up such a personal matter, please forgive me for my mistake..." Natsu looked over at her before smiling slightly "It's alright, and jeez, there's no reason to be so formal about it. You're acting like a princess or something like that..."

Lucy felt the color drain from her face, was it that noticeable? "Y-Yeah, I was just raised in a strict family, that's all..." What she said wasn't untrue, though it was only half of the truth. She knew it was not wise to tell a stranger of her position, especially a dragon. Who knew what he would do with that kind of information. While she knew of how kind Natsu was she could not shake the many stereotypes on dragons, at least not until she got to know him better, if she would even be able to.

Natsu leaned up against the cave wall, right next to her, and he let out a yawn "I don't know about you, but I'm pretty tired..." She looked over at him and sighed softly "I've slept quite a bit today, but you're welcome to go to sleep, I promise I won't do anything. Not that I can anyway..." Lucy said, motioning to her wounded foot. He nodded "I trust you won't do anything..." Natsu yawned once again and slowly closed his eyes "Goodnight, Lucy..." She looked over at him to say goodnight as well but he had already begun to snore loudly, and she couldn't help but smile. Lucy leaned her head against the wall as well and closed her eyes listening to both the sounds of the night and his snoring. She had to say, Lucy quite liked it here, with Nats, he made her life much more lively, even if it was just for a day.

She stayed awake for an hour or so before her eyes began to droop as well, and she let out a sigh of content. Lucy hoped she would be able to spend more time with the very playful and energetic dragon. She wrapped her arms around herself and smiled as she slowly fell into a peaceful slumber "Goodnight, Natsu..."


	4. Chapter 4

**Well well well, I bet you're all surprised to see me after so long. What has it been? A year? I feel bad for disappearing so much but I just get so stressed with schoolwork that it's hard to be motivated to do other things. But, now that my schoolwork has lessened a bit and I am stuck at home in quarantine I have a lot of free time and will hopefully be able to start this up again! I love seeing all your reviews, they really help to keep me motivated and I miss seeing them while writing!**

 **One last note: MAKE SURE TO WASH YOUR HANDS!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 _Lucy was back in the castle, garland hung from the walls and everyone was laughing cheerfully. At first, she couldn't help but be confused, why was everyone so happy? She glanced out the window and a light snow had started to fall. She looked back towards the crowd, as she was currently in the ballroom, and decided that it was best if she left. Lucy had always hated large occasions, mostly because her father would force her to talk and act cheerful when she was far from it. She made her way out of the ballroom and walked the castles' halls, bored, yet not bored enough to go back to the ballroom._

 _Eventually, Lucy happened upon a woman who was looking out the window. Her long golden hair draped over her shoulders elegantly, and to Lucy, she seemed all too familiar. That's when she realized that that was no ordinary woman, it was her mother. Tears welled up in her eyes and she ran towards her mother, giving her a hug from behind. Layla Heartfilia let out a small gasp at the sudden contact, and she slowly turned around. A wide smile spread across her lips as she saw Lucy, and she wrapped her arms tightly around her daughter "Lucy...I have been waiting for you..."_

 _She looked up at her mother with her tear-stained face and sniffled softly "M-Mother, how...how are you here? Last I knew you died, a-and I was all alone..." Lucy choked slightly on her tears, but nevertheless, she continued to speak "I was so alone mother...Father, I'm sure he hates me for how much I look like you...He hates me...But I need to know why, or how, how are you here with me now?"_

 _Layla looked down at Lucy sadly and she placed a comforting hand on her cheek "I am sorry your father has not treated you properly throughout your life, and he has no right to hate you, but you, you have every right to hate him, yet you don't..." She sighed before continuing on "I do not know if I can forgive your father for his poor actions, but you must know that he does not mean to hurt you, for he is hurt as well...My death, it did not sit well with him, and I thought he would eventually accept the fact that I have passed on, but I was sorely mistaken...Lucy...My sweet, sweet daughter, I wish I had not left you so early, and I must tell you that this is only a dream...One that I used my powers to create so I could speak with you...As for why I am here, I want to give you these..." She held out her hand, and in it a chain of golden keys laid._

 _Lucy looked down at the keys her mother held, and she slowly but surely reached out and picked them up. Their surface was smooth and cold, yet it felt as if a newly found power surged through her as she held them, or rather, magic, and she couldn't help but feel like the keys looked familiar "Mother...Aren't these your keys? I don't remember much about them but I do remember you always carrying them on your belt. What are they?"_

 _Her mother smiled warmly "Yes, I did often carry them on my belt, but as to answer your question, these are the Zodiac Keys and in my lifetime I had collected all of them, though now all but one are scattered across the continent..." As Layla spoke the keys began to slowly fade till all but one, with the pattern of water, was left. Lucy looked down at the key curiously as she ran her hand over it once again "Thank you mother, I will make sure to treasure this for as long as I live..." Her mother smiled and nodded "I know you will Lucy, now, I have already been here far too long, I must go..."_

 _Lucy's eyes widened as her mother began to disappear, just like the keys, right before her eyes 'W-Wait, can't you stay with me longer?! Please, mother, don't leave me, I do not want to be along any longer..." Layla smiled warmly and touched her cheek gingerly, it was almost like she could feel her warm touch "Don't worry, I am not leaving you alone, after all, don't you have that new dragon friend of yours? But if he is not enough here..." She held out her hand once again, and in it, a silver key materialized "He makes a good pet..."_

 _She looked up at her mother pleadingly as tried to grasp onto her, but her body went straight through hers. Tears welled up in her eyes again "No...No don't do this to me...I-I need you...I need you..." Lucy said barely above a whisper as she continued to sob loudly._

* * *

"WAIT!"

Lucy bolted upright as she screamed, tears were rolling down her cheeks, and at realizing she was back to reality she quickly wiped her tears away, afraid that Natsu would see her in such a pitiful state. After steadying her breathing and wiping away all of her tears she let out a long sigh, though her sadness quickly turned to amazement as out of the corner of her eye she saw the Zodiac keys, one silver, and one gold, laying on the floor of the cave. She quickly snatched them up and examined them, they looked the same as in the dream "Was that...Real?" Lucy asked herself breathlessly, had she really talked to her mother?

"Hey, are you alright?" Asked a deep male voice from beside her, Lucy wiped her head right to see that Natsu was staring at her with a serious expression on his face. She tensed up and managed a nod "Y-Yes I'm fine...It was just a bad...er...It was a good dream but...You know what? I'm not going to explain it..." She sighed and fiddled nervously with the keys and the sounds brought his attention "Where'd you get those?"

Lucy looked over at him with a confused expression, but once she realized he was looking down at her keys her eyes widened and she stuffed them into her bag "O-Oh...I got those from my mother..." She blurted out "Uh...A long time ago..." She said, not wanting him to think she was weird for not knowing exactly where they came from.

Natsu raised an eyebrow "Mhmm, well anyway are you sure you're alright?" Lucy sighed and nodded "Yes yes, how many times do I need to tell you?" She looked over at him before trying to stand up, as she was in desperate need of a good stretching, but she winced in pain at realizing she was still injured. He leaned over to her and placed his hand on her arm "Hey, you shouldn't get up yet, you're still hurt and trying to get up is going to just make it worse..." Lucy pouted slightly and wrapped her arms around herself, but not before pushing his hand off of her "I know...I just...forgot..."

She sighed as she turned her gaze towards the entrance of the cave, and towards the sky, which was shades of pinks oranges and light blues. Lucy couldn't help but smile at the beautiful landscape and her eyes widened slightly as she came up with an idea "Hey Natsu...Could you take me out to the forest? I've always wanted to see it, and you seem like the right person for the job..." She turned towards him and smiled "Please?"

Natsu didn't even have to contemplate over his answer as he gave her a wide smile "Of course I'll show you around, and I know exactly what I'll be showing you..." He stood up and stretched before scooping her up from the ground, now holding her bridal style "You okay with going right now?" He asked. Lucy couldn't help but let out a small squeak of surprise, soon followed by a deep blush as his muscular arms wrapped tightly around her. It was the first time she had ever been picked up by a man in such a manner, who wouldn't blush in her situation? Even so, she couldn't help but feel safe in his arms, a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time "Y-Yes...That would actually be preferred..."

He nodded and walked out of the cave. Rays from the morning sun reflected off dewdrops that would soon be nonexistent. Such little things were still so surreal to Lucy, it was hard but she could recollect small things about the outside world from her childhood, but she missed out on a lot of things those years she was stuck inside the castle. A sigh escaped her lips as she reminisced about the past, about her father, it may seem cruel but she was glad she was no longer within his grasp. She was brought out of her melancholy thoughts as Natsu spread his wings, and she couldn't help but stare at them in amazement. Lucy was about to reach out to touch the silky looking scales but without warning his wings pulled back, and in one swift motion he brought them down, causing him to steadily rise into the sky. A surprised gasp escaped her lips and she gripped onto his shirt for dear life, "You could have at least warned me before taking off!"

Natsu turned his gaze towards her and he gave her a goofy grin, "It wouldn't have been fun that way. Oh, and I should probably tell you that it'll take until nightfall to get there..." Lucy groaned softly, "Well whatever, if it takes that long to get there it better be good," she warned before turning her gaze away from him. The wind whipped her hair wildly as she peered over his shoulder to try and get a glimpse at the world below. She could see trees of all shapes and sized, as well as the occasional animal darting through the thick trees. A smile danced across her lips as she rested her head against Natsu's shoulder, her eyes closing slowly. It was going to be a long fly, so she might as well get some rest.

* * *

"Lucy..."

"LUCY!"

She was startled awake by Natsu's voice, her eyes opening in a panic, looking around frantically. It took her a few second to register that she was still in his arms, though they were no longer in the sky, as his feet were planted firmly in the ground. "A-Are we here?" she asked softly, her confusion clearly apparent on her features.

He chuckled softly and nodded, "Mhmm...why don't you go ahead and take a look?" Lucy listened to his words and began to look around, having no idea what she was supposed to be looking for, but soon enough she found her jaw dropping at the amazing sight in front of her. They were trees, humongous ones! If she were to guess they looked to be thousands of years old with their thick trunks that seemed to twirl in an upwards fashion. Despite their size that was not the thing to amaze her, no, it was their flower petals that astonished her the most. They were far from ordinary with their unearthly glow and rainbow color. "I...I can't believe it..." she breathed out, how could something so beautiful even exist?

"You know..." he said softly, "These trees are very important to the forest, they keep it alive and healthy, you could even say they're its life force. If these trees were to ever be chopped down...The forest would die..." A solemn look came over his features, and Lucy couldn't help but feel a pang in her chest. She hadn't known him long but it pained her to see such a sad expression on him, a person who normally was so cheerful. Natsu turned his gaze towards her and his usual smile returned, "You're the first human I have ever told that to..."

This information he was giving her could be described as confidential, and she had no clue as to why he would ever tell her something this important, let alone show it to her. "Why...Why did you bring me here? For all you know I could come back one day and chop this entire forest down, or i could even accidentally tell someone about it!" He laughed at her words, "I know I have just barely met you but there's something about you that tells me you can keep this secret." Natsu gave her a reassuring smile before glancing towards the forest filled with normal trees, "I think it would be good if we camp here tonight, I'm pretty tired after flying all day." Lucy nodded, and despite having slept for most of the flight she was feeling slightly tired as well.

* * *

Natsu had set Lucy down at the trunk of a tree before going off to get firewood. Luckily the night was lit by the moon, but even with the moon's light she got an eerie feeling from the forest. Shadows danced across the ground, they looked as if they were grabbing for her feet, ready to pull her back to the castle where she would never be able to escape again. Before her mind could play anymore tricks on her there was a rusting in the bushes which drawled her attention, and out walked Natsu with a pile of sticks, as well as a few pieces of fruit. She sighed in relief once knowing it was him, and the food he carried with him caught her eye.

"I'm starving..." she mumbled before looking at him with pleading eyes, "You're not going to eat all of that by yourself, are you?" Natsu turned his attention towards her as he set down the firewood, setting it aflame with his hand before tossing her an apple and a few berries. "Of course I wasn't going to eat all of it..." he said before plopping down onto the ground and taking a bite out of his apple. Lucy began to eat as well, though she ate her food slowly, unlike Natsu. She moved her chin up and looked through a clearing in the trees to see the sky, and she was able to spot a few constellations from a book she read when she was younger.

"Hey Lucy," she heard Natsu say before she lowered her gaze to him, his face was riddled with confusion. "Yes?" He seemed to be thinking over his words before speaking, as odd as that was, "I've just been curious about something? How come you never came to the forest before now? Was there something stopping you? I mean, I see people wander in and out of the forest nearly every day..."

Lucy could feel the blood drain from her face, what was she supposed to say to him? She was still a bit hesitant to tell him anything about her despite him having shared a very important secret with her. She felt guilty about it, but she knew she couldn't tell him yet, Lucy was not ready for that so she would have to come up wit a quick lie. "Well..." she began, "After my mother died of disease I was never out much, my father...He-" Her words were cut short by Natsu's," You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Lucy stopped her story and sighed, "I...I don't think I'll continue then, thank you Natsu..."

The rest of the night the two were silent, she hoped he didn't feel bad about asking her to bring up her past, but in order to not make things more awkward she decided against speaking. Instead, she watched as the light from the flamed danced along the bark of the tree trunks. She didn't take much notice of it, but her eyes soon became heavy before closing altogether, leaving her in a peaceful slumber.

* * *

The next morning Lucy awoke to the faint sound of unfamiliar male voices, and her confusion immediately spiked. What was going on? Where's Natsu? Her second question was answered as she looked around to find him squatting behind a bush a few inches from her. Noticing she was awake he held a finger to his lips. He held a serious expression, and this did nothing to sooth her anxiety of the situation. If Natsu was looking so serious something bad was going on, and she needed to see it for herself.

She carefully propped herself up onto her knees, taking care not to put too much pressure on her ankle, and she peered over her own bush. Lucy's eyes widened in surprise and her breath caught in her throat. She could see a number of Fiore guards circling the trunk of a smaller tree, more specifically the magical ones, but what frightened her most of all was that one of the guards held a hefty axe.


End file.
